Hey. New here.
#1
12-17-2014, 10:45 AM
Hey. New here.
My names Jeff I have a 2004 Monte Carlo LS, 3.4 V6 with 181k miles and I wasn't an enthusiast until I test drove the car. The poor thing had been sitting on a small used car lot half neglected for no telling how long (almost a year.).
After buying it, I could tell the previous owners hadn't been too keen on caring for it but it had no tears in the interior, seats, carpet or head liner so I lucked out on that.
I could tell though someone had been mucking with the dash because several of the fasteners had broke (probably an aftermarket stereo attempt I found evidence of this in the trunk) but no harnesses had been cut at they had the common sense to not go hack happy with the electrical system which is a blessing.
Really I had needed a cheap daily driver as I no longer had one to get to and from work, the guy offered me a cash price so low I knew I could fix it quick with the remainder I had saved up so thats what I did.
At first it didn't want to run, the gas in the tank was so bad it smelled like something crawled up in there and died. I actually left the cap off for a while just to let some of the stench ventilate (sorry environmentalists) I did an oil changed and had the coolant flushed because the dexcool that was in there was way past whatever self life GM claimed it had.
After the initial flush I had to do it 2 more times before I could get the coolant system to cooperate. Everyone was telling me its the water pump, its the thermostat, it's the heater core and actually it was this forum that saved me a ton of money on that first encounter. I tinkered with the coolant system for two days trying to get whatever was blocking the system to clear, on the second day on a whim I bought a new radiator cap because the old one was so gooped up, added more dexcool to it following the recommendations from here and re-bled the system and low and behold temp gauge normalized and the heater & ac started working again and it started running alot smoother.
I drove it around for a bit to get rid of the nasty gas that was in the tank, when it got low I added another quarter tank to it and repeated. By the third fill the engine was running a lot smoother, and had less of a nasty smell around it. Then I took it to shell and put a full tank of that V-Power in it and now it growls like an angry lion.
Overall the engine and transmission look to be in good shape, under the car it looks like it may have a slow leak somewhere by the transmission I've read about the gaskets that go bad in that area and it's on my to-do list. None of the oil looked fresh and after changing it the oil is still on level and clean but nevertheless I may have that fixed soon.
I have a P0420 code for the Catalytic Converter and a P1811 Code for the Transmission (Only found out about the P1811 code during a full scan because it isn't triggering the CEL) I have a new magnaflow catalytic converter in the trunk just waiting for a warm day to put it in. I have noticed the long shifts in the transmission but it's not rough shifting it's just taking a few rpms longer to get there than I think it should but according to some posts it could be related to the Catalytic converter which I'm hoping is true.
Things I've done so far:
Replaced Multifunction Switch - Headlights and DRLS died the second day I had it. Works great now.
Replaced the Hazard Switch - Turn signals didn't work after the MFS replacement. Works great now.
Replaced Driver side Temperature actuator - No hot air on the driver side, works great now.
Replaced Steering wheel cruise control buttons - Labels where completely gone I only had the two back lights shining in my face for a while it got distracting. This was probably the easiest thing to do yet and works great now.
Replaced front brake rotors and pads - These where so bad the front end shimmied much smoother ride.
New tires all the way around - I don't even remember what I got since I had to go cheap on them. I intend to replace with better rubber later when I can afford it.
Main air and cabin air filters - Almost black the both of them.
New keyless transmittor from gm parts direct since I didn't get one when I bought it. Again thanks for the programming instructions, worked like a charm.
And I have a security light that won't go away plus have to do the relearn procedure after a while so I have a new ac delco ignition sensor on the way as we speak hoping that fixes it as well.
Anyway it's been a long two weeks getting her this far but it's the first car I've owned in a while and I'm happy to have it.
I probably should have looked around for an SS since I'd like to fix this car up a little bit but I guess even the LS's need a little bit of love and shine too don't they?
But really thank you for everything you guys have posted here. It's helped me in more ways than one in learning about this car.
After buying it, I could tell the previous owners hadn't been too keen on caring for it but it had no tears in the interior, seats, carpet or head liner so I lucked out on that.
I could tell though someone had been mucking with the dash because several of the fasteners had broke (probably an aftermarket stereo attempt I found evidence of this in the trunk) but no harnesses had been cut at they had the common sense to not go hack happy with the electrical system which is a blessing.
Really I had needed a cheap daily driver as I no longer had one to get to and from work, the guy offered me a cash price so low I knew I could fix it quick with the remainder I had saved up so thats what I did.
At first it didn't want to run, the gas in the tank was so bad it smelled like something crawled up in there and died. I actually left the cap off for a while just to let some of the stench ventilate (sorry environmentalists) I did an oil changed and had the coolant flushed because the dexcool that was in there was way past whatever self life GM claimed it had.
After the initial flush I had to do it 2 more times before I could get the coolant system to cooperate. Everyone was telling me its the water pump, its the thermostat, it's the heater core and actually it was this forum that saved me a ton of money on that first encounter. I tinkered with the coolant system for two days trying to get whatever was blocking the system to clear, on the second day on a whim I bought a new radiator cap because the old one was so gooped up, added more dexcool to it following the recommendations from here and re-bled the system and low and behold temp gauge normalized and the heater & ac started working again and it started running alot smoother.
I drove it around for a bit to get rid of the nasty gas that was in the tank, when it got low I added another quarter tank to it and repeated. By the third fill the engine was running a lot smoother, and had less of a nasty smell around it. Then I took it to shell and put a full tank of that V-Power in it and now it growls like an angry lion.
Overall the engine and transmission look to be in good shape, under the car it looks like it may have a slow leak somewhere by the transmission I've read about the gaskets that go bad in that area and it's on my to-do list. None of the oil looked fresh and after changing it the oil is still on level and clean but nevertheless I may have that fixed soon.
I have a P0420 code for the Catalytic Converter and a P1811 Code for the Transmission (Only found out about the P1811 code during a full scan because it isn't triggering the CEL) I have a new magnaflow catalytic converter in the trunk just waiting for a warm day to put it in. I have noticed the long shifts in the transmission but it's not rough shifting it's just taking a few rpms longer to get there than I think it should but according to some posts it could be related to the Catalytic converter which I'm hoping is true.
Things I've done so far:
Replaced Multifunction Switch - Headlights and DRLS died the second day I had it. Works great now.
Replaced the Hazard Switch - Turn signals didn't work after the MFS replacement. Works great now.
Replaced Driver side Temperature actuator - No hot air on the driver side, works great now.
Replaced Steering wheel cruise control buttons - Labels where completely gone I only had the two back lights shining in my face for a while it got distracting. This was probably the easiest thing to do yet and works great now.
Replaced front brake rotors and pads - These where so bad the front end shimmied much smoother ride.
New tires all the way around - I don't even remember what I got since I had to go cheap on them. I intend to replace with better rubber later when I can afford it.
Main air and cabin air filters - Almost black the both of them.
New keyless transmittor from gm parts direct since I didn't get one when I bought it. Again thanks for the programming instructions, worked like a charm.
And I have a security light that won't go away plus have to do the relearn procedure after a while so I have a new ac delco ignition sensor on the way as we speak hoping that fixes it as well.
Anyway it's been a long two weeks getting her this far but it's the first car I've owned in a while and I'm happy to have it.
I probably should have looked around for an SS since I'd like to fix this car up a little bit but I guess even the LS's need a little bit of love and shine too don't they?
But really thank you for everything you guys have posted here. It's helped me in more ways than one in learning about this car.
#2
12-17-2014, 11:09 AM
Jeff:
Welcome to the forum...
Where you will find out about all things Monte Carlo.
Sounds like you have a Great start at getting it back in tip top condition.
Looks good from the pic you provided...
The trans long shift condition could also be a solenoid (That's in the trans) that maybe wearing out...(That you can replace yourself) Or with the amount of mileage on it... I would say it may or maynot need a trans. (The one big weakness of these Front wheel drive Monte Carlo's.
Have you done a filter/fluid change on the trans? It may help!
Some have had success and gotten many continued miles of service.... Others have found that the gunk in the trans is what kept it moving (Unfortunately) and ultimately had to have the transmission replaced...
I hope this wont be the case for you..
The key to keeping these cars in tip top running condition is Maintenance..
As you previously mentioned you summize that this one in particular wasn't taken care of... But its good to know your on top of things..
Please keep us posted of your progress as you continue to drive and enjoy your LS!
Also:
Please come join the conversation in Your Members Daily Blog!
Check in and say hello or see what other members are up to each day!
Thanks for joining the MCF Family!
Welcome to the forum...
Where you will find out about all things Monte Carlo.
Sounds like you have a Great start at getting it back in tip top condition.
Looks good from the pic you provided...
The trans long shift condition could also be a solenoid (That's in the trans) that maybe wearing out...(That you can replace yourself) Or with the amount of mileage on it... I would say it may or maynot need a trans. (The one big weakness of these Front wheel drive Monte Carlo's.
Have you done a filter/fluid change on the trans? It may help!
Some have had success and gotten many continued miles of service.... Others have found that the gunk in the trans is what kept it moving (Unfortunately) and ultimately had to have the transmission replaced...
I hope this wont be the case for you..
The key to keeping these cars in tip top running condition is Maintenance..
As you previously mentioned you summize that this one in particular wasn't taken care of... But its good to know your on top of things..
Please keep us posted of your progress as you continue to drive and enjoy your LS!
Also:
Please come join the conversation in Your Members Daily Blog!
Check in and say hello or see what other members are up to each day!
Thanks for joining the MCF Family!
#3
12-17-2014, 12:19 PM
Much appreciated.
Yeah I found out about the shift solenoid from here and I know it's inside the transmission. Thankfully my family out here can and does regularly rebuild transmissions in a back yard shop we have, (gotta love the retired ASE mechanics) so if it is the solenoid I'll just rebuild the transmission if I have too. But doing a fluid and filter swap may be possible too. Or I'll just say to hell with it and buy another transmission since it's something we can do lol.
I'm hoping though that it's a fluke from the catalytic converter as that can cause issues with the transmission as well. The fluid doesn't look half bad, and it does shift smooth (right now) it just lags a little on all gears.
Thanks for the welcome.
Yeah I found out about the shift solenoid from here and I know it's inside the transmission. Thankfully my family out here can and does regularly rebuild transmissions in a back yard shop we have, (gotta love the retired ASE mechanics) so if it is the solenoid I'll just rebuild the transmission if I have too. But doing a fluid and filter swap may be possible too. Or I'll just say to hell with it and buy another transmission since it's something we can do lol.
I'm hoping though that it's a fluke from the catalytic converter as that can cause issues with the transmission as well. The fluid doesn't look half bad, and it does shift smooth (right now) it just lags a little on all gears.
Thanks for the welcome.
#6
12-17-2014, 08:33 PM
I would try posting your problems in the main part of the forum and maybe someone will stumble across it that can help troubleshoot.
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